Clint Barton is Hawkeye no more. Does that leave the mantle available for someone else?

That leaves his old mantle as ‘Hawkeye’ open, which could give us a hint at the identity of a new character in Avengers: Endgame.

Who is Ronin?

Ronin in the comics.

In the comics, Ronin is a code name used by a few different characters over the years. Clint Barton took on the identity in 2007, after the comics Civil War event. This fits in well with the movie’s continuity, where we haven’t seen Clint since the film version of Civil War.

The character was absent during Infinity War, supposedly on house arrest with his family, as Scott Lang was in Ant-Man & The Wasp. However, Clint has clearly been through the wringer by the time Natasha catches up to him in the Endgame teaser.

Fans have come to the conclusion that Clint’s family were victims of the snap, leading him to assume the darker identity of Ronin. As Ronin, Barton takes up a sword rather than his traditional bow.

This leaves the Avengers with a vacancy for a sharpshooter, and if rumours are true, there could be a character ready and waiting to fill it.

Introducing, Kate Bishop?

Could Katherine Langford be our new Hawkeye?

In October, Katherine Langford was cast in an unknown role in Endgame. Some believed Langford would play an older Lila Barton, though if Clint’s family have been dusted, this is sadly not the case.

In the comics, Kate takes on the mantle of Hawkeye at a time when Clint is believed dead. Captain America even presents her with Clint’s bow as a gift.

The possible introduction of Kate Bishop doesn’t mean that Clint Barton will never be Hawkeye again. Clint eventually returns from the dead and becomes a mentor to Kate. In a recent comic book title, Bishop and Barton share the mantle of Hawkeye, teaming up to tackle low-level crime.

We could eventually see some variation of these plots in the MCU.

We’ll know more when Avengers: Endgame hits theatres on April 26, 2019.